Refrigerator and guide apparatus for display of refrigerator

ABSTRACT

There is provided a refrigerator and guide apparatus for a display of a refrigerator. The guide apparatus includes two extendable arms and a guide link guiding the movement of the extendable arms. The guide apparatus is installed between the display and the refrigerator to smoothly extend and retract the display in forward and backward directions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly,to a guide apparatus for a display installed on a refrigerator door.Still more particularly, the guide apparatus is designed such that thedisplay installed on the refrigerator can be smoothly andstraightforwardly extended from the refrigerator and the display can beswiveled at a predetermined angle without deviation, thereby preventingthe display from interfering with the outer wall or other parts of therefrigerator.

2. Description of the Related Art

A refrigerator is an electrical appliance for cooling or freezing foodto preserve the food. The refrigerator includes a main body, in which achilling chamber and a freezing chamber are formed to store food. Thechilling chamber is kept at a low temperature above the freezing pointof water, and the freezing chamber is kept at a low temperature belowthe freezing point. Also, the refrigerator includes a chilling chamberdoor and a freezing chamber door to selectively open the chillingchamber and the freezing chamber. The chilling chamber and freezingchamber are supplied with cooling air that is cooled by a refrigerant.The refrigerant is sequentially compressed, condensed, expanded, andevaporated to take heat from the air inside the refrigerator to producethe cooling air.

To increase user's convenience, some of the refrigerators are beingprovided at a front of its door with a water purifier system or adisplay.

The display shows the temperature and humidity inside the refrigerator.Also, the display shows the state of the food inside of therefrigerator. Further, a wide-screen display can be mounted on the frontof the refrigerator to provide various services for the users. Forexample, the users can connect Internet and watch televisionbroadcasting and movies with the wide-screen display. For this purpose,a wider display occupying the most area of the refrigerator may bemounted on the refrigerator door.

A flat type display such as a slim LCD may be suitable for therefrigerator because its thin thickness decreases the insulationthickness of the refrigerator door even less. The flat display, however,has a drawback in that when the user views the display at a certainangle the refrigerator door handle may disposed between the display andthe user, creating a dead angle. Moreover, since LCDs and PDPs,representative flat type displays, have a narrow viewing angle, theviewer can view clear images only when the viewer views the LCD/PDPwithin a limited angle range.

To obviate such problems, an installation structure of the display isdisclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 10-2004-0033709, filed onJun. 19, 2000, and entitled “The installation structure of a displayunit for a refrigerator”, in which the display can be tilted in up anddown directions.

In the disclosed invention, however, an accommodation recess defined ina refrigerator door must be deepened to allow tilting motion of adisplay installed therein, affecting the thickness of the refrigeratordoor. That is, insulation material should be added to supplement thedecreased insulation thickness.

Further, the disclosed invention is designed such that a hinge mechanismformed at each side of the display only allows the display to be tiltedin up and down directions. Therefore, the narrow viewing angle in leftand right directions and the dead angle due to the refrigerator doorhandle are not obviated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a refrigerator andguide apparatus for a display of a refrigerator that substantiallyobviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages ofthe related art.

An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator andguide apparatus for a display of a refrigerator, in which anaccommodation portion accommodating the display can be formed to have aminimized depth to prevent decrease in the insulation thickness of arefrigerator door.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator andguide apparatus for a display of a refrigerator, which removes user'sinconvenience due to the narrow viewing angle of the display.

A further another object of the present invention is to provide arefrigerator and guide apparatus for a display of a refrigerator, whichremoves user's inconvenience due to the dead angle caused by a doorhandle disposed between the user and the display.

A still further another object of the present invention to provide arefrigerator and guide apparatus for a display of a refrigerator, whichenables the display to be extended straightforwardly from therefrigerator without interference with other parts of the refrigeratorsuch a door handle and an outer case. Therefore, the display can be usedmore conveniently.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will beset forth in part in the description which follows and in part willbecome apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art uponexamination of the following or may be learned from practice of theinvention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may berealized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in thewritten description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with thepurpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, arefrigerator includes: a chamber kept at a low temperature; a doorselectively opening and closing the chamber; an accommodation portionformed at an outer surface of the door; a display extendable from theaccommodation portion; and at least one pair of extendable armsconnected between the display and the accommodation portion.

In another aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator includes: achamber kept at a low temperature; a door selectively opening andclosing the chamber; an accommodation portion formed at an outer surfaceof the door; a display extendable from the accommodation portion; afirst extendable arm hinged between the display and a first portion ofthe accommodation portion; and a second extendable arm hinged betweenthe display and a second portion of the accommodation portion, thesecond portion being symmetrical to the first portion, wherein the firstand second extendable arms include at least two members slidable in thesame direction for extending and retracting motions.

In a further another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda guide apparatus for a display of a refrigerator, including: a fixingbracket fixed to the display; a mounting panel fixed to therefrigerator; two extendable arms connecting a portion of the fixingbracket with both sides of the mounting panel; and two guide linksconnecting the mounting panel with the extendable arms to enable the twoextendable arms to be extended by the same length, the two guide linksmaking contact with each other at at least one point.

According to the present invention, the user can operate the displaymore easily and view the display without inconveniences caused by thedead angle and the narrow viewing angle.

Further, the display is prevented from interference with therefrigerator when the display is extended and retracted, therebyincreasing durability of the display.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description of the present invention areexemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention andtogether with the description serve to explain the principle of theinvention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to the presentinvention, in which a display is separated from the refrigerator;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a guide unit according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a refrigerator door according to thepresent invention, in which a display is located in a retractedposition; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a refrigerator door according to thepresent invention, in which a display is being extended or is swiveledafter extended.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to the presentinvention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a refrigerator 1 includes a door 200 to selectiveopen the refrigerator 1, a door handle 400 for a user to pull the door200 to open the refrigerator 1, and a display 300 mounted on the door200. The display 300 is extendable from the door 200.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to the presentinvention, in which a display is separated from the refrigerator. Astructure related to the extending motion of the display 300 from thedoor 200 will now be described with reference to FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 2, the door 200 defines a recessed accommodationportion 210 in a front to accommodate the display 300. When assembled, aguide unit 100 is connected between the accommodation portion 210 andthe display 100 to guide extending and retracting motions of the display300 from and into the accommodation portion 210.

An operation of the guide unit 100 will now be described.

When the display 300 is not used or is used in a retracted position, theguide unit 100 holds the display 330 to be securely accommodated in theaccommodation portion 210. When a user wants to view the display 300more closely, or the user is located at a dead angle area where otherpart such as the door handle 400 is disposed between the user and thedisplay 300, or the user is located outside the viewing angle range ofthe display 300, the display 300 can be moved to a desired location.That is, the display 300 can be extended from the retraced position inthe accommodation portion 210 and then its orientation can be adjusted.The guide unit 100 enables smooth and secure extending and adjustingmotions of the display 300.

The guide unit 100 shifts the display in a linear direction whenextending the display from the accommodation portion 210 to preventinterference with neighboring parts such as the door handle 400. Also,the guide unit 100 stably supports the weight of the display 300.Further, the guide unit 100 enables the display 300 to be securelyaccommodated in the accommodation portion 210 that is shallow, such thatdecrease in the insulation thickness of the door 200 due to theaccommodation portion 210 can be minimized. A structure of the guideunit 100 which provides above-mentioned functions will now be described.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a guide unit according to thepresent invention.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, when assembled, the guide unit 100 isdisposed in the accommodation portion 210 to connect the display 300with the door 200 and to extend the display 300 from the accommodationportion 210.

The guide unit 100 includes a mounting panel 110, a fixing bracket 140,and extendable arms 120. When assembled, the mounting panel 110 is fixedto the accommodation portion 210, the fixing bracket 140 supports thedisplay 300, and the extendable arms 120 are connected between themounting panel 110 and the fixing bracket 140.

Since the extendable arms 120 are hinged between the mounting panel 110and the fixing bracket 140, the extendable arms 120 are capable ofpivoting with respect to the mounting panel 110 and the fixing bracket140. Also, the extendable arms 120 are capable of extending as theyswivel outwardly, such that the extending motion of the display 300 canbe stably supported by the extendable arms 120.

A structure of the guide unit 100 will now be more fully described.

The mounting panel 110 is fixed to a predetermined portion on theaccommodation portion 210. For example, fasteners such as volts andrivets may be used to fix the mounting panel 110 to the accommodationportion 210, or the mounting panel 110 may be welded to theaccommodation portion 210.

The mounting panel 110 includes hinge socket portions 112 at each sideto couple with hinge pin portions 122 formed on a side guide 121 of eachextendable arm 120. Each of the extendable arms 120 includes the sideguide 121 and a side arm 130. The side arm 130 is movably installed inthe side guide 121 to enable the extension of the extension arm 120. Theside guide 121 is formed with guard walls 124 to prevent the side arm130 from deviation, such that the movement of the side arm 130 can bestably guided in a length direction.

In operation, the side arm 130 slides in the side guide 121, and theguard walls 124 prevents the side arm 130 departing from the side guide121 in a lateral direction to restrict the movement of the side arm 130in the length direction. A stopping structure may be formed on the innerwall of the side guide 121 to restrict the extending motion of the sidearm 130 within a limited range. In the accompanying drawings, thougheach part included in the extendable arm 120 has a rectangular section,it can have other shapes. For example, a side arm having a circularsection may be slidably inserted in a side guide having a circularsection, such as a foldable antenna used in a cellular phone or a radioset.

An elastic member such as compression spring 135 is disposed between theside guide 121 and the side arm 130 to urge the side arm 130 toward anextended position. In stead of the compression spring 135, other typesof springs such as a leaf spring and a spiral spring can be used. Forexample, when the spiral spring is used, the center of the spiral springmay be disposed at a predetermined portion of the side arm 130 and anend of the spiral spring may be abutted against a predetermined portionof the side guide 121. This configuration of the spiral spring may beseen in a watch having a spiral spring.

The side arms 130 include knuckles 132 and 133 that are aligned withhinge holes 142 defined in the fixing bracket 140. A hinge pin 131 isinserted in the hinge holes 142 and the knuckles 131 and 133. Therefore,the fixing bracket 140 can be swiveled with respect to the side arms130, and the side arms 130 can securely support the fixing bracket 140.

The fixing bracket 140 is

-shaped with its open back facing toward the mounting panel 110. Insidethe fixing bracket 140, a space is defined to receive the side arms 130.In detail, the fixing bracket 140 is opened at it back to receive someportions of the side arms 130 when the side arms 130 swivel around thehinge holes 142. That is, the fixing bracket 140 covers the side arms130 when the side arms 130 are retracted. Also, the fixing bracket 140prevents the side arms 130 from protruding outward.

Guide links 150 are connected between the side arms 130 and the mountingpanel 110. The guide links 150 include one ends rotatably connected to alink bracket 115 formed on the mounting panel 110 and the other endsrotatably connected to link fixtures 136 respectively formed on the sidearms 130. The one ends of the guide links 150 are respectively formedwith gears 152 are engaged with each other. The guide links 150 arerotated to guide the extendable arms 120 when the extendable arms 120 isextended and retracted. Since the guide links 150 are rotatablyconnected between the mounting panel 110 and the side arms 130 and thegears 152 of the guide links 150 are engaged with each other, thedisplay 300 can be extended straightforwardly from the accommodationportion 210. In detail, when one side of the display 300 tends toextends ahead of the other side of the display 300, one of the gears 152near the one side of the display 300 rotates the other one of the gears152 to push the side arm 130 adjacent to the other side of the display300, such that the extendable arms 120 can be extended equally to pushthe display 300 without deviation.

When assembled, the mounting panel 110 is fixed to the accommodationportion 210 of the door 200 and the fixing bracket 140 is fixed to aback of the display 300. The guide unit 100 having above mentionedstructure has a triangular shape when assembled.

To stable hold the display 300 in the retracted position, the display300 is formed with hooks (refer to 161 in FIG. 4) at its back, and themounting panel 110 is formed with hook holders (refer to 162 in FIG. 4).For the same purpose, other fasteners can be used instead of the hooks161 and the hook holders 12. For example, a fastener utilizingfrictional force, a magnet fastener, and a Velcro fastener can be used.

An operation of the present invention will now be more fully describedwith reference to cross-sectional views of a refrigerator door.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a refrigerator door according to thepresent invention, in which a display is located in a retractedposition, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a refrigerator dooraccording to the present invention, in which a display is beingextended.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, when a user views the display 300 that isretracted in the accommodation portion 210 of the door 200, the doorhandle 400 can be disposed between the user and the display 300 todisturb the user's viewing or the user cannot view clear images due tothe narrow viewing angle of the display 300. In this case, the user canextend the display 300 from the retracted position and swivel thedisplay 300 to a desired direction.

The extending movement of the display 300 will now be more fullydescribed. After the hooks 161 are released from the hook holders 162,the elastic force of the compression springs 135 pushes the side arms130 outward from the side guides 121 to extend the display 300 from thedoor 200.

When the display 300 is extended, the guide links 150 connected betweenthe mounting panel 110 and the side arms 130 are operated. In detail,since the extending motions of the extendable arms 120 are associatedwith each other by the guide links 150 of which the gears 152 areengaged with each other, the extendable arms 120 can be extendedequally. Therefore, the fixing bracket 140 on which the display 300 isfixed can be extended only in a perpendicular direction to the door 200to prevent the display 300 from interfering with other parts of the door200. After the display 300 is extended, the user can view the display300 without obstruction of the door handle 400.

Further, since the extendable arms 120 are hinged to the fixing bracket140 on the same hinge axis, the extended fixing bracket 140 can beswiveled on the hinge axis. Therefore, the user can swivel the extendeddisplay 300 right or left to view the display 300 without inconveniencescaused by the door handle 400 and the narrow viewing angle of thedisplay 300.

The extended display 300 can be retracted into the accommodation portion210 by pushing the display 300 inwardly. When the display 300 isretracted, it is secured in the retracted position by the hooks 161 andthe hook holders 162. That is, the display 300 can be stablyaccommodated in the accommodation portion 300 when it is not appliedwith external force.

According to the present invention, the display can be straightforwardlyextended from the accommodation portion without deviation, therebypreventing the display from interference with other parts of therefrigerator such as the door handle.

Further, since the user can swivel the display in a desired direction toremove the obstruction of the door handle or the inconvenience due tothe narrow viewing angle of the display, such that the user can viewclear images regardless of his/her location.

Furthermore, the extending and swiveling structure of the display areattained without increasing the depth of the accommodation portion ofthe refrigerator door, such that the insulation thickness of the door isnot decreased.

As another embodiment of the present invention, an additional extendablearm can be disposed between the display and the accommodation portion tosupport the weight of the display more securely.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the present invention. Thus,it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications andvariations of this invention provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

1. A refrigerator comprising: a chamber kept at a low temperature; adoor selectively opening and closing the chamber; an accommodationportion formed at an outer surface of the door; a display extendablefrom the accommodation portion; and at least one pair of extendable armsconnected between the display and the accommodation portion.
 2. Therefrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the extendable arms arerespectively connected to both sides of the accommodation portion. 3.The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the extendable arms arehinged to the display at the same position.
 4. The refrigeratoraccording to claim 1, wherein the extendable arms are symmetrical toeach other.
 5. The refrigerator according to claim 1, further comprisinga guide link connected between the accommodation portion and theextendable arms to enable the extendable arms to be extended bye thesame length.
 6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein theaccommodation portion includes a mounting panel to which the extendablearms are connected.
 7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, furthercomprising a fixing bracket to which the extendable arms are connectedat the same position, the fixing bracket having a front side on whichthe display is supported.
 8. The refrigerator according to claim 1,wherein each of the extendable arms includes: a side guide formingoutside of the extendable arm; and a side arm installed in the sideguide, the side arm being extendable in a length direction of the sideguide.
 9. The refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein each of theextendable arms further includes an elastic member urging the side armin the length direction of the side guide to extend the side arm.
 10. Arefrigerator comprising: a chamber kept at a low temperature; a doorselectively opening and closing the chamber; an accommodation portionformed at an outer surface of the door; a display extendable from theaccommodation portion; a first extendable arm hinged between the displayand a first portion of the accommodation portion; and a secondextendable arm hinged between the display and a second portion of theaccommodation portion, the second portion being symmetrical to the firstportion, wherein the first and second extendable arms include at leasttwo members slidable in the same direction for extending and retractingmotions.
 11. The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein the displayincludes a fixing bracket at a back to which the first and secondextendable arms are hinged.
 12. The refrigerator according to claim 10,wherein the first and second extendable arms are symmetrically hinged toboth sides of the accommodation portion, respectively.
 13. Therefrigerator according to claim 10, further comprising a mounting panelfixed to an inner surface of the accommodation portion, the first andsecond extendable arms being hinged to the mounting panel.
 14. Therefrigerator according to claim 10, further comprising two guide linksconnecting a center of the accommodation portion with the first and thesecond extendable arms, the two guide links having at least one gearmesh portion.
 15. A guide apparatus for a display of a refrigerator,comprising: a fixing bracket fixed to the display; a mounting panelfixed to the refrigerator; two extendable arms connecting a portion ofthe fixing bracket with both sides of the mounting panel; and two guidelinks connecting the mounting panel with the extendable arms to enablethe two extendable arms to be extended by the same length, the two guidelinks making contact with each other at at least one point.
 16. Theguide apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the two extendable armsare symmetrically hinged to left and right sides of the mounting panel,respectively.
 17. The guide apparatus according to claim 15, wherein theguide links makes contact with each other at at least one point by agear structure.
 18. The guide apparatus according to claim 15, whereineach of the extendable arms includes: a side arm extendable in a lengthdirection; and a side guide guiding the side arm, wherein the side armand the side guide are connected to the fixing bracket and the mountingpanel, respectively.
 19. The guide apparatus according to claim 18,wherein the guide links are respectively connected to the side arms. 20.The guide apparatus according to claim 18, wherein each of theextendable arms includes an elastic member disposed between the side armand the side guide to provide elastic force therebetween.